Santo Santoro (Queensland, Liberal Party, Minister for Ageing) Share this | Hansard source

I think that the sector and Senator McLucas will be quite happy with the government’s eventual response to Professor Hogan’s report. I am not trying to obfuscate; we are trying to get the best result. We are still consulting very extensively with the advisory committee, with individual stakeholders, with churches and right across the board. I really have been flat strap taking in all the views. There is nothing political, mischievous or sinister in our considering the views of the industry to the length that we have. I expect to be in a position at some time in the future to provide a comprehensive response to Professor Hogan’s recommendations on long-term reform.

Senator McLucas mentioned an aged-care home in Victoria that failed 30 of the 44 standards and only got four months less on accreditation. The home that she referred to was the Elizabeth House private home. Sanctions were not applied there as there was not an immediate or severe risk to the health and safety or wellbeing of the residents, as the Aged Care Act requires. Senator McLucas would appreciate that the absolute bottom line of everything that we as a government do and that I personally as a minister oversee is the welfare of the residents within our aged-care facilities. All the people in the department share that commitment and that ideal of service, and sometimes some fairly tough decisions have to be made.

When a breach occurs which looks severe, including breaches that may involve serious assault or sexual assault, we are often asked by Senator McLucas and others on her side of the chamber, or even members of the community, ‘Why is that aged-care facility still allowed to operate?’ It is very simple. To just shut down a facility and get people out of the facility very quickly is not always a feasible option. Senator McLucas knows that through no fault of the government there was recently the closure of an aged-care facility in Victoria with all the commotion and emotional drain that that caused to residents.